Homebuilder Pushes Solar Homes in Arizona

In an effort to spur home sales during a gloomy time for real estate, Michigan-based developer Pulte Homes has begun to offer residences with solar roofs at two of its Arizona developments, in addition to a few of its solar roof communities developed earlier elsewhere the country. Since the beginning of the new year, Pulte has started to sell solar homes inside two “age-restricted” (in other words, reserved for residents aged 55 and over) communities run by Del Webb, one of its subsidiaries. With 11,200 homes left to be constructed in these two Del Webb developments, Pulte has stated that it has the potential to dominate the Arizona market for solar residential developments.

The solar roofs, which are optional and come outfitted with SunPower solar cells embedded onto their surface, fetch anywhere from $13,000 to $17,000, a price that already takes into account a rebate offered by utilities company Arizona Public Service (APS). While Pulte’s Arizona solar homes have yet to see any takers, the company asserts that they have received high demand in other states.

Ken Johnson, Pulte’s Southwest-area vice president of strategic marketing, said Del Webb communities in other states have been offering the solar roofs for several months and have seen their 55-and-older customers opt to make the up-front investment.

“These buyers understand the value of hedging future expenses and the global benefit of energy efficiency,” Johnson said.

One advantage that these pre-installed solar cells have over traditional photovoltaic installations is their relative inconspicuousness and ability to integrate more seamlessly with a building’s roof. However, the restrictions of these communities—in terms of age, building aesthetic, etc.—may not suit everyone, and Arizona solar incentives are still, after all, going strong. Furthermore, with solar shingles on the rise and a hike in electricity rates for Salt River Project (SRP) customers on the horizon, a commercial or residential solar installation seems more attractive than ever before. Whether you’re seeking to find a new abode or simply want to retrofit your current one, the sunlight is abundant and the options are many.

ECD Fan Said,

January 18th, 2010 @2:41 pm

You don’t indicate how many kWs worth of PV will the retiree get for “$13,000 to $17,000″ and whether the roofs are south-oriented and optimally tilted (30-35 degrees). Regardless, system prices after subsidies needs to be less than $3.00 per Watt in those locations for the “shingles” to make economic sense, so it seems this would be a horrible investment decision (not unlike buying an overpriced home).

Connie Zheng Said,

January 18th, 2010 @6:43 pm

Hi ECD Fan,

Thanks for your concerns–it’s nice to know that we have active readers. Still, I just want to point out that the information you seek was never provided by my sources (the Arizona Republic article linked above, Pulte website), and that I was simply relaying information and alerting readers to potential options. By no means was I attempting to advocate for the purchase of these homes.